Made on Cape Cod: Bum Boosa

Like many new mothers, Sonja Sheasley began paying attention to the ingredients list on things like skin care products when she had her two sons in 2003 and 2005.

Not liking what she saw, she began to experiment with making her own natural products, by educating herself on herbs and essential oils and then making her own lotions, soaps, lip balms, insect repellents, and healing salves.

She quickly turned her kitchen into her laboratory, and “eventually [she] decided to try to make [her] own baby wipes with a natural solution.” While researching recipes for homemade wipes, Sheasley learned of the negative environmental and health impacts of most of the wet wipes on the market: they are full of harsh chemical preservatives, and most are made from plastic.”   

“The more I thought about it,” Sheasley said, “the more I became propelled into the idea of mass producing baby wipes made from plant based material with a more natural solution.”

Thus, Bum Boosa® Bamboo Products was launched in March of 2009.

Sheasley chose bamboo as the material for the baby wipes because bamboo is a highly renewable plant fiber that doesn’t require insecticides or a lot of water to grow. “Bamboo makes a better choice for a fiber than tree pulp, as you can harvest bamboo in 2-4 years while trees take upwards to 30 years.” 

And now Bum Boosa®, a play on the Latin word for bamboo, has three products on the market: bamboo baby wipes, diaper rash ointment with bamboo powder, and the first 100% bamboo (tree-free) bathroom tissue.

When looking for manufacturers, Sheasley interviewed each of them via skype and e-mail. When she chose a supplier, she worked with an organic chemist to help develop the wet solution. She chose pure grade essential oils to add to her ingredient list at a low level. And she found another Cape Codder, Jack Crompton, to help her develop her branding.

“I’ll never forget the day I received the first delivery,” Sheasley said, “it was really exciting to see my concept come to fruition.”

Since its inception, Bum Boosa® has built a strong online presence on websites such as amazon, drugstore.com, and ecomom.com. The wipes are sold at Big Y World Markets in western Massachusetts and Connecticut, and at independent natural food stores and baby boutiques along the east coast, and they have begun to export to small distributors in Australia, Canada, Columbia, and the Cayman Islands.   

Like many United States companies, large and small, Bum Boosa® produces a part of its product line in China, where the manufacturing capabilities are more diverse. Sheasley is hoping to one day bring the production of their products to the USA. Currently, the baby wipes and the diaper ointment are produced domestically at facilities that operate on 100% renewable energy, while the toilet paper is produced in an environmentally friendly factory overseas in China.

Currently Bum Boosa® employs three people, including Sheasley, which she calls “labor intensive.” Her goal is to get to the point where they can hire more people, so the burden can be taken off of her and her partner, as well as her family.

But Sheasley’s major concern about the company is ensuring that it is “the real deal”—consistent with the values that it was founded upon and the message it puts forth. In addition to the testing and certifications required to maintain their credibility as a green business, the company participates in global reforestation efforts through Trees for the Future, and are a certified B Corporation which is a new type of corporation that must meet certain social and environmental performance standards, as well as use the power of business to solve social and environmental problems. 

Running the business “definitely requires lots of self-discipline, tenacity, and keeping the original purpose and mission of the company in steady focus.”

But the payoff for Sheasley thus far has been great: she has created a successful business by developing a product that she loves, while educating consumers about conventional products that have a negative impact on people and the environment.

To learn more about Bum Boosa and their products, visit www.bumboosa.com.